The Seven-Ups (1973)

Premium Car Chase

I went to watch a car chase and a movie broke out. This is truly one of the great car chases in movie history and it seems to go on forever. In reality, any cop who conducts this kind of chase would be severely disciplined for endangerment, but hey, that's entertainment! Take away the chase and the movie isn't really very good, but there are some nice gritty shots of NY. A good deal of the cast and crew is recycled from the French Connection, an infinitely better film. Worth seeing once. If you're on a time budget, scan directly to the chase and get on w/ your life.... July 21, 2008

Fantastic cinematrography, car chase and action scenes

The Seven-Ups (1973) promises a story that's rooted in the underworld, and delivers
all of that, and more! The marketing of the movie is very accurate.

This picture, as a DVD, is superb, from a cinematographical point of view (by Urs Furrer)
as is the music, reminiscent of Bela Bartok's String Quartet, for example ( by Don Ellis.)
The images have none of that post 1990's "Video Tape" look to it, that often makes movies
merely TV-grade, lusterless, colorless, meaningless. Kudos to the camera equipment used,
and the DVD transfer specialists. We have a super sharp, high resolution, super clear
outstanding filming here.

This movie surely was a hit on its release date, in the 70's, because it delivers thrills,
and action, with a dream-like quality that doesn't overdo it, taking the viewers for a
rollercoaster of a ride throughout the 103 mins. This is what entertainment is all about,
with a special appreciation for the absolutely spectacular car chases lasting over 10 to 15
minutes, in downtown Bronx, NYC, while real people are walking the streets, and real cars
driving downtown in both directions, during real, authentic deadly dangerous stunts, coupled
with impressive GTA- like engine and rubber tires sound effects. It's a thrill to see the
Police fire shotguns at those racing their vehicles downtown, and real cars being smashed
at high speeds, (without any computerized, hocus pocus special effects that too
often takes viewers for granted in terms of what will hit the mark or not.) This
is the best car chase I've seen to date, in a movie. The shootouts are also totally realistic.

Roy Scheider is a no-nonsense, low-key approach officer, that is a paradox, in that he
fights his own propensity to calmness, with the need to get results, as a businessman
knows one must, and as an employee knows one must to keep one's job. As such, the ends
justify the means, in an era of widespread, out of control corruption and crime, to avoid
vigilantism, by having undercover officers use the same methods, and play by the same book
of rules as those they are trying to catch.

Richard Lynch, playing Moon, is a crowd pleaser: his facial expressions always seem
genuine, and comical, such is the ease the actor has in showing emotion ...fear, greed,
the urge for violence, etc.

Ken Kercheval (better known as Cliff Barnes from the 1980's series Dallas), has a short
part as a member of the undercover team, known as the 7-Up's, but has that vitality in
his acting that also was a trade mark in the TV series.

A remarkable aspect that clearly brings a lot of class and style to the picture (as does
the classical genre music) are the 3 piece suits and ties the gangsters wear, as do the 7
Ups, their shiny black shoes; yet this also obviously overshoots the target in terms of
the movie -going audience, who will obviously be of a younger crowd, jeans-wearing, and
pop music hearing.

A bizarre moment is Schneider actually eating half of an apple live on camera, perhaps
improvized.

The large, heavy, over-sized overcoats perhaps stem from the fashion of the day, since it
seems a bit theatrical in nature, even considering the 0 degrees outside Wintertime weather of NYC.

The only aspect that is dated, are some the cars, - American-style gas guzzlers -
the Black and White TV's and the police sirens.

Interestingly, the phenomenon of kidnappings in public for randoms - often seen in
developing and in third-world countries - is brought to the forefront here, as an effective
and easy way in raking in several 100 large, as the Italian Mob is shown shaken down by
a rogue crew of members from the underworld. This is suggested as a consequence of the
shylock business having lost its profitability from too many players, and the need for
some to diversify and maintain revenue and profit levels.

The very realistic and common practice usage of confidential informants is introduced
to viewers, who in this case, are shown one playing both sides of the law , with incomplete,
often false information given to the officer, Schneider.

For the most part, the dialog is impeccable, except for a few overdubbed moments,
lasting only a few minutes, during which the lips of the actors don't match the words heard.

As the trailer says, this film is about "dirty trick cops that even the regular police are afraid
of!" Comment | Permalink June 27, 2008

Do you qualify for Seven-Up?

That's the objective of an elite group of NYC detectives called the Seven-Ups; to seek,capture and send crooks to the big house for 7 years or more. Playing out somewhat more like a TV movie than the theatrical release it was, the Seven-Ups suffers a simple plot with action that at times plods a little.However, on the bright side the Seven-Ups is sprinkled with car chases, the groups attempts to avenge a colleagues murder and about two-thirds through the movie we're treated to a testosterone induced, V8 drenched car chase that'll not only raise the excitement factor but make you slack-jawed when you see how it ends! No air bags in 1973! Combining a cool but intense performance from Roy Scheider in this cop action vehicle, the Seven-Ups provides us with a decent movie worth the low price of admission from Amazon! March 5, 2008

nice!

I saw this movie when I was 15 in 1980's. This chase scene was incredible.
Now I saw it again, my feeling was stronger than 25 years ago.

September 30, 2007

All sizzle and no steak

The Seven-Ups was producer-turned-director Philip D'Antoni's attempt to outdo his earlier Bullitt and The French Connection but it falls flat because of a lack of starpower and a story that just doesn't matter. If anything its more a premise than a plot - a cop is unaware that his main informer is actually using him to get information on which mobsters to kidnap - and has characterization that never rises to the level of paper thin: despite a few "just a coupla kids from the old neighborhood" lines, the characters simply aren't there, leaving Roy Scheider often seeming on the verge of being completely lost while Tony Lo Bianco's hesitancy all too often seems more like desperation for something to latch on to. The car chase is good but not that good in a film that doesn't have enough going for it for that to be enough and which sorely lacks fizz.

Fox's DVD isn't a bad package - widescreen 1.85:1 and fullscreen transfers, teaser and full trailer and a vintage short on the shooting of the car chase. February 25, 2007

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